Neural mechanisms of affective instability and cognitive control in substance use

Objective: We explored the impact of affect on cognitive control as this relates to individual differences in affective instability and substance use. Toward this end, we examined how different dimensions of affective instability interact to predict substance misuse and the effect of this on two event-related potential components, the reward positivity and the late positive potential, which are said to reflect the neural mechanisms of reward and emotion processing, respectively. Methods: We recorded the ongoing electroencephalogram from undergraduate students as they navigated two T-maze tasks in search of rewards. One of the tasks included neutral, pleasant, and unpleasant pictures from the International Affective Picture System. Participants also completed several questionnaires pertaining to substance use and personality. Results: A principal components analysis revealed a factor related to affective instability, which we named reactivity. This factor significantly predicted increased substance use. Individuals reporting higher levels of affective reactivity also displayed a larger reward positivity following stimuli with emotional content. Conclusion: The current study uncovered a group of high-risk substance users who were characterized by greater levels of affective reactivity and context-specific increased sensitivity to rewards. Significance: These results help to elucidate the complex factors underlying substance use and may facilitate the creation of individually-tailored treatment programs for those struggling with substance use disorders

Theory of triangular lattice quasi-one-dimensional charge-transfer solids

Recent investigations of the magnetic properties and the discovery of superconductivity in quasi-one-dimensional triangular lattice organic charge-transfer solids have indicated the severe limitations of the effective 1/2-filled band Hubbard model for these and related systems. Our computational studies of these materials within a 1/4-filled band Hubbard model in which the organic monomer molecules, and not their dimers, constitute the sites of the Hamiltonian are able to reproduce the experimental results. We ascribe the spin gap transition in kappa-(BEDT-TTF)_2B(CN)_4 to the formation of a two-dimensional paired-electron crystal and make the testable prediction that the spin gap will be accompanied by charge-ordering and period doubling in two directions. We find enhancement of the long-range component of superconducting pairing correlations by the Hubbard repulsive interaction for band parameters corresponding to kappa-(BEDT-TTF)_2CF_3SO_3. The overall results strongly support a valence bond theory of superconductivity we have proposed recently.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Micarta Propellers III : General Description of the Design

The design of propellers made of Micarta is discussed. The advantages of the material are noted, especially as compared with wood. The design changes necessitated by the use of Micarta are discussed with reference to the hub boss, the narrowing of the blade tips, the thinning of the blades, the angles of the leading and trailing edges, and the adjustment of the pitch. Results of flight tests show that the Micarta propeller gave a top speed of 2 miles per hour more than the wooden propeller while turning about 120 r.p.m slower, with about the same rate of climb. At top speed, the Micarta propeller shows an improvement of about 7 percent in fuel economy, although the plane is flying 2 miles per hour faster

A transient digitiser for fast air shower events

Air shower structure are often measured on time scales of a few nanoseconds. Longitudinal disk structure near the core is of the order of meters in dimension, air Cerenkov pulses have full widths at half maximum of the order of tens of nanoseconds, and fast timing over typical arrays is usually measured to nanosecond accuracy. oscilloscopes can be used but have very limited dynamic range and are expensive if measurements down to a few nanoseconds are to be made. For the fast Cerenkov work, an instrument with better dynamic range than an oscilloscope and with a time resolution sufficient to allow measurements limited only by system risetime of a few nanoseconds is needed. A 16/32 channel, 8 bit, fast transient digitizer was designed and built which runs at sample intervals down to approx. 1 nanosecond per channel

Micarta propellers IV : technical methods of design

A description is given of the methods used in design of Micarta propellers. The most direct method for working out the design of a Micarta propeller is to start with the diameter and blade angles of a wooden propeller suited for a particular installation and then to apply one of the plan forms suitable for Micarta propellers. This allows one to obtain the corresponding blade widths and to then use these angles and blade widths for an aerodynamic analysis

Micarta propellers I : materials

Here, values for tension, compression edgewise of laminations, and transverse flatwise of laminations are given for Micarta made with various kinds of sheet material. The corresponding values for white oak are given for comparison. It was found by destructive and service tests that Micarta made with a good grade of cotton duck will give satisfactory service with most designs. In propellers having detachable blades, it is desirable that the root of the blade be of a small cross section to decrease the weight of the metal hub. Here the use of the special fabric or wood veneer offers advantages due to greater tensile strength. These materials, especially the wood veneer, produce stiffer blades than duck. This is also a value in controllable and reversible pitch designs where it is desirable that the plan form of the blades be symmetrical

Bond patterns and charge order amplitude in 1/4-filled charge-transfer solids

Metal-insulator transition accompanied by charge-ordering has been widely investigated in quasi-one-dimensional conductors, including in particular organic charge-transfer solids. Among such materials the 1/4-filled band charge-transfer solids are of strong interest, because of the commensurate nature of the charge-ordering in these systems. The period-four charge-order pattern ...1100... here is accompanied by two distinct bond distortion patterns, giving rise to bond-charge-density waves (BCDW) of types 1 and 2. Using quantum Monte Carlo methods, we determine the phase diagram within the extended Hubbard Hamiltonian that gives both types 1 and 2 BCDW in the thermodynamic limit. We further investigate the effect of electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions on the amount of charge disproportionation. Our results show that between these two bond patterns, one (BCDW2) in general coexists with a large magnitude charge order, which is highly sensitive to electron-phonon interactions, while the other (BCDW1) is characterized by weak charge order. We discuss the relevance of our work to experiments on several 1/4-filled conductors, focusing in particular on the materials (EDO-TTF)_2X and (DMEDO-TTF)_2X with large amplitude charge-order.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Protecting Due Process During Terrorism Adjudications: Redefining Crimes Against Humanity and Eliminating the Doctrine of Complimentary Jurisdiction in Favor of the International Criminal Court

“When we sit in judgment we are holding ourselves out as people—as the kind of a community—that are worthy of this task. It is the seriousness, the gravity, of the act of judgment which gives rise to our legitimate and laudable emphasis on procedural fairness and substantive accuracy in criminal procedure. But these things focus on the defendant—the one judged. I am concerned about us who would presume to sit in judgment. Who are we that we should do this? Whether we intend to do so or not, we answer this question in part through the way we conduct our trials.